CVE-2022-37918 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the Aruba AirWave Management Platform, specifically versions 8.2.15.0 and earlier. The vulnerability arises from broken access control mechanisms within the platform's web-based management interface. This flaw allows remote attackers who already possess limited privileges to bypass intended access restrictions and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or perform unauthorized changes to network configurations at a higher privilege level. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284 (Improper Access Control), indicating that the system fails to properly enforce user permissions on certain URLs or API endpoints. Exploitation requires no user interaction and can be performed remotely over the network, with an attacker needing only low privileges on the platform. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.1, reflecting high impact on confidentiality and integrity, with no impact on availability. The scope remains unchanged, meaning the vulnerability affects only the vulnerable component without extending to other components. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild, the ease of exploitation combined with the potential for privilege escalation makes this a significant risk for organizations relying on Aruba AirWave for network management. The vulnerability could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive network data and unauthorized modification of network configurations, potentially undermining network security and operational stability.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-37918 can be substantial, especially for enterprises and service providers that use Aruba AirWave Management Platform to monitor and manage their wireless and wired network infrastructure. Unauthorized access to sensitive configuration data could expose network topology, credentials, and device information, facilitating further attacks such as lateral movement or targeted intrusions. Unauthorized configuration changes could disrupt network operations, degrade performance, or introduce security weaknesses such as misconfigured access controls or disabled security features. Critical sectors including finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government agencies in Europe that rely on Aruba AirWave for centralized network management could face operational disruptions and data breaches. Given the platform’s role in managing network devices, exploitation could also indirectly impact availability and integrity of connected systems if attackers manipulate network policies or device settings. Furthermore, compliance with European data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR) could be jeopardized if sensitive personal or operational data is exposed due to this vulnerability.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should prioritize upgrading Aruba AirWave Management Platform to a version later than 8.2.15.0 where the access control issues are patched. In the absence of an immediate patch, organizations should implement strict network segmentation to restrict access to the AirWave management interface only to trusted administrative hosts and networks. Employing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users accessing the management platform can reduce the risk of compromised credentials being leveraged. Regularly auditing user privileges and removing unnecessary low-privilege accounts can minimize the attack surface. Monitoring and logging access to the management interface with alerting on anomalous privilege escalations or configuration changes can provide early detection of exploitation attempts. Additionally, applying web application firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting known vulnerable URLs may provide temporary protection. Finally, organizations should conduct penetration testing focused on access control validation for the AirWave platform to identify any residual weaknesses.